The Centers for Disease Control has urged all Americans aged 18 and up to receive their COVID vaccine booster shot - and say doing so may ...
The Centers for Disease Control has urged all Americans aged 18 and up to receive their COVID vaccine booster shot - and say doing so may be the best way of battling the new Omicron variant.
CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky made the plea on Twitter Monday. She wrote: 'CDC is updating its recommendation on #COVID19 vaccinations: everyone 18 yrs & older should get booster shot.
'We have much to learn about #OmicronVariant, but we do know that COVID-19 vaccines are our best tool to avoid serious illness & hospitalization.'
Walensky added: 'The emergence of #OmicronVariant further emphasizes importance of vaccination, boosters, & prevention efforts needed to protect against #COVID19. I strongly encourage the 47 million adults who are not yet vaccinated to get vaccinated as soon as possible.'
The CDC had previously only recommended boosters for adults aged 50 years and over, or people with a medical condition or occupation that could make them more vulnerable to a COVID infection.
CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky, pictured, has urged all Americans aged 18 years and older to receive their COVID booster shots
Walensky shared this tweet urging Americans to have their COVID vaccine
Walensky said people should get their booster six months after their second Pfizer or Moderna vaccine shot, or two months after receiving the single-dose Johnson & Johnson inoculation.
Her agency's announcement came as President Biden himself urged Americans to get boosted.
Government advisers have said that it will be another two weeks before they know more about the Omicron variant.
News of the variant first emerged in South Africa over the weekend, with scientists there saying it appeared to be far more effective.
Vaccine manufacturers are now working to establish how effective their existing shots are against it, and to potentially develop new injections specifically designed to protect against Omicron.
So far the symptoms appear to be very mild, sparking hopes that Omicron will not be as dangerous as the Delta variant, which infected vaccinated people and led to a surge in hospitalizations and deaths across the world.
The U.S. health regulators last week expanded the eligibility for booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines to all adults aged 18 and older either six months after their initial Pfizer or Moderna vaccine doses or two months after their Johnson & Johnson shot.
Carmen Penaloza receives her booster in Rosemead, California, on Monday. Experts hope boosters could offer protection against the new Omicron variant
Amid the renewed emphasis, Pfizer and partner BioNTech are expected to ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the coming days to authorize their booster shots for those aged 16 and 17 years, the Washington Post reported on Monday, citing sources.
Separately, the Wall Street Journal reported https://on.wsj.com/3E5Mgvq that the FDA could approve booster doses for 16 and 17 year-olds as soon as next week.
Pfizer, BioNTech and the FDA did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment.
Omicron, which the World Health Organization said carried a very high risk for fueling infection surges, has now been confirmed in several countries including Germany, Hong Kong, South Africa and Canada.
Scientists in the United States and around the world are urgently examining vaccine effectiveness related to this variant, the CDC said.
The agency also said the 47 million adults who are not yet vaccinated are encouraged to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
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